What’s your favorite color? Why is it your favorite? Chances are your answer has something to do with the way that color makes you feel.
Color has a significant influence on our perceptions and emotions, and understanding this is key when incorporating it into event design. Color theory provides a framework of rules and guidelines that help us understand these effects.
Basic knowledge of color theory can help event planners or designers as they work with their audiovisual team on upcoming events. Through custom lighting and set design, we help our clients use color to establish an atmosphere, strengthen a brand, keep the audience engaged, support a presentation, and more. The effective use of color provides significant influence over the aesthetic and ambiance of any event.
Color Temperature refers to warm tones (reds, yellows, oranges) and cool tones (blues, whites). Warm tones create a sense of passion, energy, confidence, or strength. Cooler tones will convey peace, calmness, friendliness, or trust. They can also evoke melancholy or sadness, a feeling we all know as “getting the blues.”
Color Rendering Index (CRI) measures how accurately a light source displays colors. Higher CRI values mean better color accuracy.
Color mixing involves the combining of colors to create a certain effect or atmosphere. Professional lighting designers will be experienced in color mixing, hue, and saturation to help you achieve your desired effect.
There are general guidelines for colors and their associations.
When choosing colors, shade matters! Navy blue can be crisp and masculine, a light blue would be airy and youthful. Dark red might seem sinister, and light red is – well, pink – which can seem playful or feminine.
Use color to transform your event space. Warmer colors can make a space feel smaller or more intimate, and cooler colors can make a room feel more spacious. Color in lighting for events can also be used during presentations to direct the audience’s attention to places on the stage or in the room and to emphasize certain moments. Using unique venues or innovative set designs can provide exciting opportunities for color in lighting design.
Color changes throughout the event can help tell a story, distinguish between presenters, and vary the mood at different times of the day.
Collaborating with your lighting designer on the specific goals of your event will help to inform the way color should be used to its best effect.
Color in lighting design is a powerful driver for the impact of your event. It can help create magical moments, stimulate the audience, and make your event immersive and memorable. Our talented designers can bring your shows to vivid life and give a wonderful “aaahh” moment when the audience enters the space. Learn how our creativity and expertise can make your next event remarkable. Contact us here or call (973) 993-8500 to speak with an AVD team member.